India beefs up security after blast outside Israeli embassy

Policemen stand guard near the Israeli Embassy after a blast in the area in New Delhi, India, Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. (AP)
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Updated 29 January 2021
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India beefs up security after blast outside Israeli embassy

  • Minor damages but no casualties have been reported from the explosion
  • Incident took place as India and Israel observe the 29th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties

NEW DELHI: Security has been beefed up at government buildings and airports in India, officials said, following a low-intensity blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Friday evening.

Minor damages but no casualties have been reported from the explosion that occurred some 50 meters from the embassy building in a high security zone of the Indian capital.

The incident took place on a day when India and Israel are observing the 29th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.

"An alert has been issued at all airports, important installations and government buildings in view of blast reported in Delhi. Enhanced security measures have been put in place," the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards all government installations, including airports, said in a statement following the blast.

Delhi Police, meanwhile, said that no injuries or damage to property was recorded, "except (to) windowpanes of three vehicles parked nearby."

"A very low-intensity improvised device went off at 5:05pm near 5 APJ Abdul Kalam Road near Jindal house," police told reporters, "Initial impressions suggest it was a mischievous attempt to create a sensation."

Local media reports say that following the blast security has been reinforced also at the Israeli consulate in Mumbai.

"We take this very seriously," Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar tweeted on Friday after speaking to his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, following the blast.

"Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits," he said.

The Israeli foreign ministry reported no casualties or damage to the embassy building.

"There were no casualties in the blast and no damage to the embassy building," it said in a statement, "The incident is under investigation by the authorities in India who are in contact with the relevant Israeli authorities."

The blast revived the memory of a bomb attack on an Israeli embassy car in New Delhi, which injured two embassy workers and two passersby in 2012.


Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt

Updated 01 January 2026
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Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt

  • Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years

DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.

Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.

Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.

“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, ‌days after the ‌party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.

Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.

The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.

The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024. 

Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.

Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”

He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.